3D Fetuses, Real-Life Popeye, and One Lucky Cat

By Jaimie Dalessio, Everyday Health Staff Writer

Parents in Japan can take home 3D models of their unborn babies, a Massachusetts bodybuilder resembles Popeye but is fueled by chicken and beef (not spinach), a Scottish teen believes her cat is a life-saver.

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THURSDAY, Nov. 29, 2012 — Ultrasounds are common practice for expectant parents, and technology allows for even more detailed pictures than the ubiquitous, grainy black-and-white still. Today, 3D and 4D ultrasounds can give moms- and dads-to-be an even closer look at the baby's cheeks, lips, and nose.

But a service launched this past summer in Japan takes the concept of capturing a fetus in utero to a whole new level — with 3D models you can hold in your hands.

An engineering company called Fasotec teamed up with the Hiroo Ladies clinic in Tokyo to offer the technology, called Bio-Texture Modeling, which converts data from an MRI into a 3D image. A 3D printer then works its magic, turning the image into a tangible object one might mistake for a paperweight.

Only it's way more expensive, costing about 100,000 yen (roughly $1,200), according to Discovery News. And that doesn't include the MRI cost.

A Popeye Lookalike Does Not Eat Spinach

Moustafa Ismail, a bodybuilder, has big arms. So big, measuring 31 inches around, they grabbed the attention of Guinness World Records, which considered recognized him as having the largest upper arm muscles on earth, according to the Associated Press. But in the face of controversy over exactly how Ismail got such Popeye-like muscles — steroids or other non-natural methods, perhaps — Guinness is reviewing his records to determine whether they should recognize him.

Title aside, 24-year-old Ismail's resemblance to Popeye has earned him fans at his gym in Milford, Mass. "They call me Popeye, the Egyptian Popeye," Ismail told the AP. He may look like the spinach-eating sailor man, but Ismail's diet doesn't consist of much spinach. Instead he fuels up on pounds of protein and carbs daily.

A Cat's Special Sense?

When Maria Gillon, 13, starts experiencing palpitations due to ventricular tachycardia — a potentially life-threatening fast, irregular heartbeat — her cat Perla seems to know exactly what's happening. The cat's special sense, according to the Daily Mail, is particularly helpful when Gillion sleeps alone in her room. During past attacks that took place in the night, Perla has alerted Maria's mother, who then called an ambulance to get Maria treatment and ensure her heart doesn't stop.

Some animals are trained to pick up on certain symptoms in their owners, like seizure response dogs, for example, who can sense epileptic episodes in their owners and become skilled at doing so over time. At this point, it's unclear whether Perla the Cat's ability to sense changes in her owner's heart rate is instinctive or simply lucky. But luck alone will suffice for the Gillion family of Gorebridge, Midlothian in Scotland, who believe Perla has saved Maria's life on several occasions.

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